Container conveyer and distributor



Dec. 21, 1937.

C. N. BERGMANN CONTAINER CONVEYER AND DISTRIBUTOR Filed sept. 11, 1936 Q i N Rg u; f I H 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

` ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1937. c.` N. BERGMANN 2,103,107,

CONTAINER CONVEYER AND DISTRIBUTOR Filed Sept. ll, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

La@ ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 21, 1937 2,103,107

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,103,107 CONTAINER CONVEYER AND DISTRIBUTOR Christian N. Bergmann, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner of two-sixths to Charles M. Clarke, Sewickley, Pa..

Application September 11, 1936, Serial No. 100,304 11 Claims. (Cl. 1798`81) My invention is an improvement in distributtional conveyer chain and gearing arrangement ing conveyers for containers, such as bottles, cans, thereof; or vthe like, and is particularly adapted to the Fig. ll is a diagrammatic plan view showing art `of conveying milk orother bottles, as from a the elemental conveyer arrangement at a switch'- washing machine, to a plurality ,of receiving staing junction; 5 tions for further treatment. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional View on the line .Specically, in the application of the .inven- V-V Of Fig. 4; tion as illustrated and as hereinafter described, Fig- 6 iS a detail plan VieW 0f a SWitChing junethe inventioninvolves the installation of .a main tion cover plate embedying the transfer bridge 10 sectional conveyer or trackway and one or more sections. 19 divisional lateral trackways, andan automati- Ordinarily, the present practice is to convey cally operating kswitching construction at their bottles from a washer to each iilling machine by junction vvfor dividing o r subdividing a main separate independent conveyers. In my invenstreamorseriesof bottles into plural streams. tion I aCCOnllDliSh the reSultS by the distributing l5 The invention has in view provisioncf means System hereinafter described. lf5 whereby a constant stream ortrain of bottles Fig. 1 illustrates one 0f Severalpossible adaptamaybe .conveyed and delivered to the ultimate tions of the invention to the solution of the probone ,of .e series of terminal .receiving stations, lemcf diStribut-insthe normal Output 0f a single and @to one .or -more intermediate laterally dis- Washing machine t0 a plurality 0f VSubsequent posed stationsautomatically, as controlled or StatiOnS and OnelatiQnS, aS in filling the bottles. 20 limited by .the yabsorbing or receiving capacity Ordinarily the Capacity output of a `single oftheseveralstations, or their supply conveyers, Washing maehne iS greatly in eXCeSS 0f that 0f While-'theinvention as-,herein .disclosed refers a Single filling machine, henee it iS desirable and to the art or preeticeof washing and ilingmilk necessary te apperticn the Supply or rate of feed bottles, ,it win :be understood that it may Vbe of bcttlestc-a plurality cf lliice machines pro- 25 utilized `in connection with a main quantity of pOItOnally. Y similar containers. or other generally similar ob- In the layout 0f Fig 1 the Washing machine jects .capable of :being progressed, while stend- A, with ,a capacity and output of say 240 per ingnpright, by-a supporting conveyer, as abelt minute, supplies its bottles tonlling machine LB vOrchain, :for distribution. having a large capacity of say 120 per'r'ninute; Ll'he .principal .active :features or elements of to machine C having a reduced Capacity 0f Salr the invention consist in interposing between the 60 Der minuteiand t0 inahine D having a Sin1- terminals of4 sections ofa main conveyer, thereiler reduced capacity of isay 60 per minute. ceiving terminalsof ylaterally arranged vconvey- The inventionhoweveris not limited to any ersedapted-to deect units; from the mein stream fixed .proportions or capacities; and maybe varied to ``one or vmore yintermediate stations. Also in within wide' limits, `dependent on conditions.r providing-bridgingand guiding `elements whereby The washing machine A discharges itsoutput under .varyingioperating Aconditions ythe units in successive rows of vsay 12 bottles each,`bot may pessfromthemain trackway onto a lateral tems down, ente a Sectional ccriveyerv trackway one,or maypassover an interposed lateral track- 5, 5a, and 5b. The trackway is of conventional in way to-.the kopposite vterminal of the main one. ferm, having a lOWer Supporting and Conveying The invention is also designed to maintainv the belt or chain t 0f Suitable ,COnStruCtiOm flexible feed of units to one or. more receiving stations in vertically, as commonly practiced, and driven by proportion to the absorbing or receiving capacity any Suitable rneanS7 aS inOtOr M- of each, The speed of conveyersection 5 .is adjusted to 45 Referring to the drawings showing certain the discharge Speed Of the Washingmachine so preferred constructions and arrangement: that-.eaeh rOW 0f lOOttleSk aS CliSCharged Will be fFig-1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating located just behind the preceding advancing .rOW

theinvention as utilized for alternating single in tranSit- Y l 50 bottle straight travel movement and interme- HOWeVer it iS desirable that the Speed 0f the diate lateral and nal disposition; conveyer shall be suiiicient to compensate for any Fig. 21s a similardiagrammatic sectional view gap spaces between the bottles fand to maintain onthelinejII--II of Figi; them in close pushing contactwith each other 3 sadiagmmmatic plan view of the secuntil or as they arrive successively at the rst 55 switching station E, and also the second station F.

At such first station E it is desirable to divide the advancing column so as to divert a portion laterally, transferring such portion to iilling machine B according to its capacity, and the balance along the main sectional trackway 5a. I therefore provide a lateral conveyer-provided traokway 'i leading from station E to the illing machine B, along which trackway some of the bottles of the main column. are carried, the others proceeding straight along trackway 5a.

In the same manner other bottles of the main series pass beyond station E by trackway conveyer 5a to the second switching station F, and by lateral trackway 8 to lling machine C, the remaining bottles then passing along trackway conveyer 5b directly or by lateral trackway 9 to the final lling machine D.

The construction of the several conveyers is of any well known type to provide progressive movement on a common level, of closely adjacent unit supporting and carrying slats I0.

The conveyers are driven by suitable actuating mechanism at desired speeds for movement of the units, and the speeds may be regulated to accommodate the receiving capacity of the several iilling machines B, C, and D.

Thus the speed of conveyer section or'trackway 5 is the same or slightly slower than that of the preliminary conveyer leading to it from the washer A. The next section Ea is preferably of reduced speed, as is also the final section 5b and the speeds of lateral conveyers l', 8, and 9 are conformably regulated to the receiving capacity of the filling machines. Such details and adjustments will be understood as within the province of the builder or designing engineer, dependent upon the operating conditions of the installation or other controlling factors.

At each station E and F, or wherever a lateral conveyer leads 0E between the terminals of the consecutively spaced sections of a main conveyer, I provide a comparatively thin at supporting bridge section I2, forming a portion of a covering plate I3.

Such plate as in Fig. 6 is provided with clearance openings I4 for the adjacent terminal portions of the main conveyer sections 5 and 5a and 5b, and with a middle clearance portion i5 for the chains and slats of lateral conveyers l and 8.

The plate I3 as thus made is adapted to be laid across the gap portions at station E and F and is preferably on a level slightly below that of the supporting slats ID, providing an ample supporting platform for the straight or lateral movement of the units.

By such construction, assuming all the conveyer sections to be loaded, as the bottle units are advanced, say along conveyer trackway 5, they will ride over the bridge section I2 onto the lateral conveyer 'I, by which they will be conveyed to machine B. Assuming conveyer l to have been loaded to its delivering capacity, or ternporarily interrupted, the progressing series of units will be pushed continuously along over the lateral conveyer and the opposite bridge section I2 and be conveyed by section 5a to lateral conveyer 8 under the same conditions. It will be understood that the receiving capacity of machines B and C combined is less than the feeding capacity from the washer, and that all bottles not distributed laterally will thus pass onwardly through the nalconveyer trackway 5b and 9 to the remaining machine D.

Each lateral conveyer 'I and 8, preferably travelling at a slower speed than either of the main sections 5 or 5a will of course only receive and carry 01T such maximumV of bottles delivered thereto as limited by the capacity of machines B and C. Each last bottle passing onto the lateral conveyer will thus leave an open gap for straight line progress of the remaining surplus of the main column.

It will also be understood in case of, for instance, machine D being temporarily inoperative, that the entrance to conveyer section 5b may be blocked off in any suitable manner, whereupon units arriving at the station junction F will all be carried to machine C. Also, that if either machine B or C is temporarily inoperative, entrance to either conveyer 'I or 8 may be closed in the same manner with resulting longitudinal progress along the main section or sections.

The several trackways are dened by the travelling base slat members I0 and between the guiding sides II, II, of suitable construction to maintain the bottles erect, with easy clearance in their passage. At corner portions such sides may be conformably rounded to provide for easy lateral travel of the units as delivered from one line of direction to another, as is commonly practiced in similar conveying mechanism. Also at station E and F the approaching or inlet end of lateral conveyers 'i' and 3 is receivably widened by sloping or rounding the inner guiding side I Ia, providing for easy lateral movement of the units, as deiiected thereinto by cooperation of the associated conveyer elements, and as controlled by the preceding units.

What I claim is:

l. In combination with a plurality of spaced apart sections of alongitudinal conveyer track- Way on a common horizontal plane, a lateral conveyer on the same plane extending transversely between their terminal in receiving position relation to one of said trackways, said conveyer' and trackways being of the ilexibly connected supporting flight type.

2. In combination with a plurality of spaced apart sections of a longitudinal conveyer trackway on a common horizontal plane, a lateral conveyer on the same plane extending transversely between their terminals in laterally receiving and conveying relation to one of said trackways, said conveyer and trackwaysbeing of the iiexibly connected supporting iiight type.

3. In combination, a pair of spaced apart longitudinal conveyers in registering alinement on a common horizontal plane whereby one delivers to the other, and an intervening transverse conveyer on the same plane adapted to receive units from an approaching conveyer member thereof.

4. In combination, a pair of spaced apart longitudinal conveyers in registering alinement on a common horizontal plane whereby one delivers to the other, an intervening transverse conveyer on the same plane adapted to receive units from an approaching conveyer member thereof, and stationary bridge sections between the terminals of the longitudinal conveyers and the transverse conveyer.

5*. In combination, a pluralityV of conveyer sections in longitudinal alinement on a common horizontal plane providing adjacent delivering and receiving terminals at each side of an intervening transverse space, a lateral conveyer trackwayin said space disposed across the path of said sections and on the same plane, and bridging members between the longitudinal and transverse sections, said conveyer and trackways being of the flexibly connected supporting night type.

6. In combination, a plurality of conveyer sections in longitudinal horizontal alinement providing adjacent delivering and receiving terminals at each side of an intervening transverse space, a lateral conveyer trackway in said space disposed across the path of said sections, and bridging members between the longitudinal and transverse sections substantially in the plane of both trackways, said conveyer and trackw'ays being of the flexibly connected supporting flight type.

7. In combination, a plurality of conveyer trackway sections in longitudinal alinement providing adjacent delivering and receiving terminals at each side of an intervening transverse space, a lateral conveyer trackway vin said space disposed across the path of said sections, means for moving the several conveyer trackway sections at successively reduced speeds, and bridging members between the longitudinal and transverse conveyer trackway sections.

8. In a unit distributing conveyer system, the combination of an initial unit supply station, a plurality of conveyer sections in longitudinal alinement providing adjacent delivering and receiving terminals at each side of an intervening transverse space, a laterally arranged receiving station, a lateral conveyer trackway in said space disposed across the path of said sections and leading to said receiving station, and bridging members between the longitudinal and transverse sections, said conveyer and trackways being of the iiexibly connected supporting flight type.

9. In a unit distributing conveyer system, the combination of an initial unit supply station, a plurality of conveyer sections in longitudinal alinement providing adjacent delivering and receiving terminals at each side of an intervening transverse space, a laterally arranged receiving station, a terminal station in receiving relation to the furthermost longitudinal section, a lateral conveyer trackway disposed in the space between the terminals and across the path of the longitudinal sections and leading to said receiving station, and bridging members between the lon-y gitudinal and transverse sections, said conveyer and trackways being of the flexibly connected supporting flight type.

l0. In combination with the delivering and receiving terminals of a pair of spaced apart longitudinal conveyers and the receiving terminal of an intervening lateral conveyer, a bridge member having a supporting surface substantially on the piane of all of said conveyers having oppositely located clearance openings for the terminals of the longitudinal conveyers and a clearance opening for the terminal of the lateral conveyer extending between said openings.

11. A bridge member for horizontal longitudinal and lateral conveyers having a plane upper surface and oppositely located clearance openings for the terminals of the longitudinal conveyers and a clearance opening for the terminal of the lateral conveyer extendingbetween said Y openings.

CHRISTIAN N. BERGMANN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,1o5,1o7 December 21, 1957.,

CHRISTIAN N. BERGMANN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line Ill, claim l, for the word "terminal" read terminals; and that ith this correction therein that the Said Letters Patent should be read w e in the Patent Office..

the same rr'lay conform to the record of the cas Signed and sealed this 8th day of March, 11Ml D., 1958.,

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Aoting Commissioner of Patents.. 

